Kurdish fighters defending the key Syrian border city of Kobani are dangerously outmatched as ISIS advances , a top United Nations official said Tuesday , calling for the international community to step in .

`` They have been defending themselves with great courage . But they are now very close to not being able to do so . They are fighting with normal weapons , whereas the ISIS has got tanks and mortars , '' Staffan de Mistura , the U.N. special envoy for Syria , said in a statement . `` The international community needs to defend them . The international community can not sustain another city falling under ISIS . ''

Were Kobani to fall , ISIS would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of Raqqa , Syria , and Turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers -LRB- 62 miles -RRB- .

Outnumbered and outgunned by ISIS , local fighters trying to defend the Kurdish-dominated city have tried to flee into Turkey .

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Kobani was about to fall to ISIS as protests raged in his country over how the group should be handled .

And hours after U.S. airstrikes targeting ISIS struck near Kobani overnight , the city 's future was far from certain .

Stopping ISIS from taking over cities , towns and other territory in Syria is n't the focus of U.S. efforts , a senior administration official and a U.S. official told CNN .

At a briefing , a State Department spokeswoman faced persistent questions over whether saving the city was a U.S. priority . The answer , CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott said , sounded like a resounding `` no . ''

`` It 's obviously horrific to watch what 's going on the ground , but it 's important for the United States , for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in Syria , '' spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters .

The U.S. goal , she said , is `` a deliberate , well thought-out campaign in Syria '' to disrupt ISIS command and control , destroy the group 's infrastructure and attack sources of fuel and financing for ISIS .

`` Certainly no one wants to see Kobani fall , but our primary objective here is preventing -LRB- ISIS -RRB- from gaining a safe haven , '' she said .

`` And we 're going after those specific structures that I mentioned , '' Psaki added . `` But we would not have taken the range of military strikes we have taken , including overnight , if we did not want to support and -- and defend the area . ''

Five airstrikes targeting groups of ISIS fighters struck near Kobani overnight , U.S. Central Command said . There were another four strikes elsewhere in Syria and four in Iraq .

`` Finally , they are hitting the right places , '' one local fighter against ISIS said after the airstrikes near Kobani , which is close to the Turkish border and key to ISIS ' effort to extend its terrain .

Airstrikes against the radical Islamist group in Kobani can be challenging because many targets are too close to the Turkish border or Kurdish forces to strike , a senior U.S. military official said .

Violent protests in Turkey

Destroying ISIS will require ground operations , Erdogan said , according to the semi-official Anadolu news agency .

Speaking to Syrian refugees , he said there has been `` no achievement yet , '' despite months of efforts against ISIS .

Erdogan called for a no-fly zone , and for the arming of opposition groups in Iraq and Syria .

People upset over what they consider Turkey 's failure to respond adequately to the ISIS threat launched protests in Turkey , some of which turned violent .

Three people were killed and at least 36 injured in demonstrations throughout Turkey , police said , according to Anadolu .

At least five Turkish police officers were among the injured , Anadolu said .

There were clashes overnight in Istanbul , and a group of about 50 to 60 protesters blocked a road , CNN affiliate CNN Turk reported .

Some demonstrators set fire to a bus and garbage truck and smashed windows and cars .

One protester was killed in the middle of a demonstration after being hit in the head by a gas canister in the town of Varto , police said .

And two protesters died during demonstrations in the southeastern province of Siirt , Anadolu reported .

In Belgium , meanwhile , Kurdish protesters stormed the European Parliament building . CNN affiliate RTL Belgium said about 50 protesters stormed into the building . Police then cordoned it off .

Some European nations have joined the fight against ISIS , but the Kurdish protesters want tougher action .

Belgium participated in overnight airstrikes in Iraq , U.S. Central Command said .

Dutch join in , Canada to follow suit

Dutch forces participated for the first time in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq as well , dropping three bombs on ISIS vehicles that were shooting at Kurdish Peshmerga forces , the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement . The vehicles were destroyed , and ISIS fighters may have been killed , the ministry said .

Canada 's Parliament approved an air combat mission against ISIS in Iraq , pledging up to six CF-18 fighter jets as part of a strike force , in addition to other aircraft for surveillance , reconnaissance and refueling .

`` To be absolutely clear , Canada 's engagement in Iraq is not a ground combat mission . It includes a number of targeted measures , being taken with allies , to severely limit the ability of ISIL to engage in full scale military movements and to operate bases in the open , '' Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement . `` We do not take this step lightly . The threat posed by ISIL is real . If left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly . ''

Near Kobani , airstrikes hit ISIS vehicles

In Syria , according to U.S. Central Command , the airstrikes against ISIS included :

-- One south of Kobani destroyed three ISIS armed vehicles and damaged another

-- One southeast of Kobani destroyed an ISIS armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery

-- Two southwest of Kobani damaged an ISIS tank

-- One south of Kobani destroyed an ISIS unit

Elsewhere in Syria , two strikes west of al-Hasakah hit multiple ISIS buildings , one near Deir Ezzor struck an ISIS staging area and IED production facility , and one southwest of Rabiyah struck a small group of ISIS fighters .

The United States , Saudi Arabia , and the UAE all participated in the strikes , Central Command said .

Death toll in fight for Kobani

More than 400 people have been killed in the fight for Kobani since mid-September , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said .

The group said it has documented the deaths of 219 ISIS jihadists , 163 members of the Kurdish militia , and 20 civilians .

A northern Iraqi hospital has received the bodies of at least 29 suspected ISIS militants , the head of the Tal Afar hospital said Tuesday . Danial Qassim said most were killed in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes overnight .

Tal Afar is about 70 kilometers -LRB- 43 miles -RRB- west of Mosul -- Iraq 's second-largest city . Mosul has also been overtaken by ISIS , which calls itself the Islamic State .

How ISIS makes its millions

Why is ISIS so successful at luring Westerners ?

U.S. military airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria have cost more than $ 62 million so far , according to data provided by the U.S. Defense Department .

The data , apparently sent out inadvertently to the Pentagon 's press contacts on Monday , listed the total number of airstrikes by U.S. Central Command in Iraq and Syria . It also detailed locations of targets and specified the costs of munitions used .

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Canada will send fighter jets to target ISIS in Iraq

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U.N. envoy : `` The international community can not sustain another city falling ''

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State Department : U.S. goal is preventing ISIS `` from gaining a safe haven ''

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Turkish President Erdogan warns Kobani is about to fall to ISIS